Shift
by devan
Summary: sorry about the huge delay! Chapter 5 now up - This is a story about a young girl who finds herself on DS9. It is evolving. Please read and review if you get the chance - thanks.
1. Chapter 1

They had found the girl in the middle of the promenade. Her clothes were ragged and covered in a soot-like substance. She appeared disoriented and confused about her whereabouts.

Odo stopped writing. It was here that his security report became strange. Until this morning, Odo had been enjoying a rather relaxing time catching up of paperwork and reviewing security alerts. That was until he responded to a disturbance in the promenade.

The girl had been pacing, frantically calling out. Witnesses said it was as though she appeared out of thin air. The first people who saw her, said that she was curled up in a corner, as though she was sleeping. One of the Bajorans who ran a kiosk on the promenade said she thought it was the noise of the promenade that woke the girl.

It had taken two security officers to subdue the girl, despite her small size. Odo had been concerned that the girl would be injured, but his concerns appeared misplaced when she struck one of his security officers, giving him a bloody nose. Once they had brought the girl to the infirmary, the mystery deepened.

* * *

"I'll have to sedate her," Dr. Bashir said. "And I'll have my staff take a look at Ensign Leila's nose to make sure it's not broken."

Once they had the girl on the exam table (again it took two staff to restrain her while Dr. Bashir administered a dose of sedative), Dr. Bashir turned to Odo. "What do you know about her?"

"Nothing yet," Odo replied. "I was hoping that you could help. To my knowledge there was no one matching her description on one of today's transports. Apparently she materialized out of thin air, but our security reports don't show any unauthorized transports to the station."

Dr. Bashir began his scans. "She's Bajoran, approximately fourteen years of age, but it's hard to tell. She's severely malnourished. It's almost as though…" His voice trailed off as he took a closer look at her right wrist. "It appears as though her wrist has been broken, but it was never set. I don't think that she has seen a doctor in a very long time."

"Didn't the Federation send a delegation of doctors to Bajor following the occupation?" Odo asked gruffly.

"Yes," Dr. Bashir answered, "that's what's so confusing. Certainly they would have caught something like this. And the situation on Bajor is not so dire now that a child should be so malnourished."

"I'm going to see what I can find out about her. Call me if you find something else Doctor."

* * *

But Odo had found nothing. He didn't put much stock in the claims that the girl had simply appeared on the promenade, but he was beginning to think it might be the only available explanation. None of the passenger manifests from the past month had yielded any information about the girl's possible origins. There was no reason to believe that she had somehow managed eluded the security sensors and beam aboard, but Odo was waiting to hear from Chief O'Brien, who had promised that he would look into, once the replicators in the habitat ring had been fixed yet again.

With no more information to go on, Odo didn't know what he was going to do next.

"Bashir to Odo" The disembodied voice pierced through Odo's thinking.

"Odo here Doctor."

"Constable, the girl is waking up and is much calmer. We may be able to get our answers."  
"On my way," said Odo, and left his office behind.


	2. Chapter 2

She sat on the edge of the bed, draped in a medical gown; still groggy from the sedation she had been given. Reaching up, she gingerly touched her right cheek. She gasped at the sharp pain her fingers brought to her face.

"That's quite the bruise," the man in blue remarked. "How did you get it?"

"I – I don't know," she said. Her forehead wrinkled as she fought to bring back the memory of how she'd gotten hurt. There was a wisp of memory, a palm striking her, the world going black…nothing more.

Another man entered the room. He looked like the other man, but different somehow, as though his face was not quite finished. He was like no one she could remember having seen before, and yet there was something familiar about him. She couldn't explain it.

"I'm Constable Odo," the second man said by way of introduction. "I am chief of security here on Deep Space Nine. You caused quite a ruckus this morning."

She blushed. The blood rushing to her cheeks stung a little when it reached her bruise, and she ducked her head so that the two men could not see her wince in pain.

"What is your name?" the Constable asked. His voice sounded strained, as though he was tired of this routine, as though he had asked this question before.

"I don't know," she said, becoming distressed. Why couldn't she remember what her name was?

"How did you get to Deep Space Nine?"

"I don't know." She tried to think of the last thing she could remember for certain. Beyond waking up in this room and the vague memory of being hit, she could remember nothing. No name, no family, no childhood… Before this moment, there was nothing concrete that she could say was hers. "I'm sorry," she began to cry, "I really don't know."

"Constable," the first man broke in, "she did receive a nasty blow to the head, it is possible that it's caused some amnesia."

"May I have a word with you in private, Doctor?"

The two men crossed the room, and the girl had the difficulty hearing what they were saying.

"…possible she is…" the gruff voice of the constable.

"It's a concussion…" the doctor's musical voice. "…scans show no permanent…"

"When?" The question hung in the air. She strained to hear the doctor's answer, but his voice was too soft for her to make out his answer. How long would it be before she had her life back? She wiped away the tears from her cheeks, embarrassed.

The doctor made his way back towards her. "Why can't I remember anything?"

"You have a concussion. Most likely from when you got that," he motioned to the bruise on her right cheek. Looking into her eyes, beginning to tear up, he quickly added, "It will return, you know. My scans show that there was no permanent damage. It will just take time."

She scowled and rubbed furiously at the tears in the corner of her eyes. "So what do I do in the meantime?"

"Well, I'd like to keep you here for overnight for observation. Apart from the concussion, you had some other, well, unusual conditions."

"Like what?"

"Your wrist," he said, and the girl was aware for the first time of the brace on it. "It has been broken. I was forced to reset it because it hadn't healed properly. And you were severely malnourished."

"And all that – that's unusual?"

"Assuming you've come here from Bajor, you should have had access to some medical care and adequate nutrition. You really are a bit of a mystery."

"I'm not a mystery for you to solve, Doctor," she snapped. "I – I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. You've been very kind. I just want to lie down and sleep for a while."

"Of course," said the doctor, and walked away.

* * *

"Captain, she can stay in the infirmary for now, but she can't stay there indefinitely. I'm not sure how long it might take for her to regain her memory."

"If she's lost it in the first place," Odo added, almost under his breath.

"Constable? Do you have something to add?"

They all stood in front of the captain's desk looking out over Ops.

"We no nothing about her, not even where she's come from."

"Her memory will return in time," Doctor Bashir interjected.

"I'm not convinced that she's lost her memory Doctor. There is something about her, I can't quite put my finger on it, but I don't think we can trust her."

"Just a hunch?" Captain Sisko asked Odo.

"Call it past experience," Odo said. "Something about her just isn't sitting with me."

"Well, Constable, until we have something more solid to go on, I'm afraid we can't put her in a cell based simply on a hunch. Doctor, let me know when she's able to be moved from the infirmary, and I'll see what arrangements we can make for her."


	3. Chapter 3

Memory could come back in bits and pieces, or it could come back in a flood, Dr. Bashir had warned her. In fact, this was her last conscious thought as she fell asleep that first night in the infirmary. She had hoped that perhaps her dreams might shed light on who she was and where she came from, but when she awoke the next morning it was only with the vague sense that she was not where she was supposed to be.

"Good morning," Dr. Bashir greeted her.

She blinked in reply. Everything here was just so strange. She couldn't put her finger on it exactly, but small, ordinary things seemed to come as a great surprise to her. Air was fresh, when she expected it to be stale; food had both colour and flavour, when she expected it to be grey and tasteless. Wherever here was, and wherever she had come from, she felt sure that she was in the better place now.

"Your clothes are just over there," the doctor continued, motioning, "but if you would like, I can see about replicating you something else."

She shook her head, embarrassed by his offer of charity.

"Well," said the doctor, "in that case, I'll give you some privacy so you can get changed. After that we'll get you some breakfast. If you're feeling up to it, you can attend school. At least it will give you the opportunity to meet some of the other children on the station, and get you out of the infirmary for the day."

As she began to get herself dressed, she wondered if being allowed to attend school meant that she was well enough to be discharged from the infirmary. Where would she stay now, she wondered as she pulled her tunic over her head. The thought occurred to her that they might have a home for children like her, with no known family or friends, but she shuddered at the thought of living in such a place.

Her hand brushed over her cheek as she reached back to pull her hair into a tight bun. She winced as at once the pain stung and the memory of a cool pallid hand striking her flooded her mind. No, she decided, she could not leave this place. Not until she was certain what it was she was going back to.

* * *

The day passed slowly. She savoured her breakfast, and even enjoyed her time in the classroom. Many of the children were Bajoran, like her, but there were others there too. They were all friendly enough to her, although they stared a bit too much for her liking. She didn't know what they were talking about for the most part, but tried to sit quietly at the back of the class, and focus on the tablet in front of her. The teacher, a pleasant woman with dark hair and eyes, offered her encouraging smiles throughout the day.

At the end of the day, she trudged back to the infirmary. Dr. Bashir met her on her way in.

"So," he asked, "how was school?"

There was something almost paternal about his tone that made her want to laugh in response, but she bit down on the inside of her cheeks. "Fine," she replied.

"I don't imagine you've remembered any more about your past," he prodded gently.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Except…" And her voice trailed off.

He looked at her expectantly. Was it worth telling him about the memory of being struck? She wasn't sure if it would gain her his sympathy or his pity, and didn't know if she wanted either.

"Except?" he prompted her.

"Nothing. I thought I remembered something, but it was nothing."

* * *

She was walking on the promenade. All around her people were moving quickly, with purpose. She was aware that someone was walking behind her, a little to her right. The person's matched their stride to hers and casually but firmly gripped her elbow. She tried to pull away, but the grip on her elbow tightened, rather painfully. She began to panic.

Across the promenade she saw a woman standing and watching silently.

"Lian!" she cried out. She hadn't remembered the woman's name until it left her mouth.

The pale hand left her elbow and gave her a hard push from behind. She stumbled. From her knees she looked up. She could not see the woman behind the sturdy man standing in front of her.

"Lian!" she shouted. "Help me!"

Before the hand struck her face, she heard a high-pitched scream, "Riel!"

At once she woke up, finding herself in the quiet of the infirmary.

The promenade of her dream was gone, but she remembered one thing. She remembered her name.


	4. Chapter 4

~Sorry for the delay - Holidays got in the way! Enjoy!~

* * *

So the mysterious girl had a name, Odo thought. Provided it wasn't all made up, of course. Odo took his time, sitting quietly across the desk from the young girl who had conveniently remembered her name during the night. His silence was unnerving her, he could tell by the marked increase in her fidgeting. Naturally this was his plan. If she was making it up, the more nervous she was the better his chances at catching her in her lie.

If he had been pressed, Odo could not have said what it was about the girl that he didn't trust. Outwardly there was nothing about the girl that contradicted her story. While unusual, her malnutrition was certainly not criminal. Her claim that she had been struck by a Cardassian on the promenade, as the doctor had reported to Odo that morning, fit the injuries she had. Although, Odo mused, her timeline was a bit off. If the last thing she remembered was being hit, then it was impossible that a Cardassian had assaulted her, as none had been on the station. Garak, the resident tailor and sole Cardassian resident on the station had been away, supposedly searching for new and rare fabric samples.

"Hmph," Odo snorted audibly, at last breaking the silence.

The girl looked up from her feet, as if expecting him to speak. Her dark, plaited hair looked almost auburn when it caught the light. It fell halfway down her back on the same clothes she had been found in. They had been cleaned, Odo noted, but he found it strange that she had not been offered something else to wear. Her tunic was threadbare in places and, although it had been cleaned, its colour was such that it gave the impression that it was permanently covered in dust.

"Have I done something wrong?" the girl, Riel, Odo reminded himself of her name, finally asked.

"Not that I'm aware of," Odo replied. "Why? Do you have something to confess to?"

"N-no," Riel stammered. "I was just wondering…why I'm in the security office."

"It was just the most convenient place," Odo said smoothly. "Captain Sisko will be joining us shortly to explain to you what your options are as we are looking for your legal guardians." Odo paused. "In the meantime, I have some questions for you, if you don't mind." His voice could have sounded almost chivalrous to an unobservant individual, but the underlying tone conveyed the assumption of compliance rather than a genuine offer.

"I'll do my best. But I already told the doctor everything I remembered." Technically this wasn't exactly true, but then again the part that Riel had left out was less a memory and more a sense of something. Apart from her name, what Riel remembered most vividly from her dream was the woman to whom she had cried out. Riel had told Dr. Bashir that she remembered her name when a woman addressed her, but what she hadn't told the doctor was everything else about the woman. The woman stood out for several different reasons. The first of which was her clothing. The woman had been Bajoran, Riel could clearly picture the woman's face in her mind's eye; but her clothing had been Cardassian. More than this oddity was the sense that this woman was important to her. She seemed too young to be her mother, but Riel couldn't shake the sense that this woman was somehow a part of her family. There was something else, something more, but Riel couldn't quite put her finger on it. Until she was certain, there was no point in looking for a woman who may or may not give her the answers she was looking for.

"You told the doctor the last thing you remember was being struck," Odo prompted her.

"Yes," Riel answered earnestly. "After that I woke up."

"You're sure that this was a memory, not merely a dream?" Odo asked.

"Of course. I wouldn't have told the doctor if I thought I'd had a bad dream. I'm not a child." More than a hint of irritation was detectable in her voice, Odo noted. "Why are you asking me this? Do you think I'd just make it all up?"

"You wouldn't be the first person who sat there and lied to me," Odo said. He hadn't intended on sounding so adversarial, but something about this girl made him feel especially antagonistic.

Before their exchange could continue, the doors opened with a hiss and Captain Sisko stepped into the office.

"Constable," he said, nodding to Odo. Odo replied in kind, standing up and moving away to one of the computer displays and busying himself there. Sisko turned to the girl sitting in front of the desk. "Hello," he said almost quietly.

The girl didn't reply, but she turned and looked at the Captain, giving him a small smile. The fire in her eyes from the conversation with Odo had dimmed.

"I understand that you've remembered some things." The Captain spoke with a kind and gentle voice.

"Just my name and…" Riel paused. There was a certain amount of shame for her in the next statement. "And this," she gestured to her now faded bruise. "I remember how I got this."

"The doctor said you remember one name," the Captain said. "We have initiated a search for your family, but without a family name this may take some time."

Riel nodded. "I still haven't remembered that."

"Until we can locate a legal guardian we've arranged other accommodations for you on the station. The Doctor said that you're free to leave the infirmary."

"Where will I stay?" Riel asked.

"There is a family on the station you can stay with until the Bajoran government makes other arrangements for you." Captain Sisko turned towards Odo, "Constable, if one of your deputies is able to show this young woman to the quarters, I would like to have a word with you."


	5. Chapter 5

OK - finally got a chance to work more on this story...

* * *

She lay in bed in the room that was meant to be hers. Meant to be hers for the time being that is, Riel reminded herself. The quiet of the room was unfamiliar. Even the infirmary had a soft hum, but here in this room it was utterly quiet. She had no distinct memories to support her instincts, but she suspected that silence was not something from her life before. She should not get used to it, she supposed. It was only a matter of time before she remembered who she was and where she came from.

Riel imagined that the family outside her bedroom door was continuing their evening without her. They had all been friendly. The dark-haired woman welcomed Riel with smiling eyes when the officer had escorted her to their quarters. The man asked her what she wanted to eat, suggesting some Bajoran dishes he thought she might be familiar with. Riel sheepishly agreed to one that sounded appealing, but she had no recollection of what foods she most enjoyed eating. Even the little girl had grinned and asked Riel to read with her, although before she could answer, they were called to the dinner table. Dinner was awkward though, as though they were playing at being a family, and Riel felt self-conscious as they watched her eat. After they had finished eating, Riel had feigned tiredness and retired to her bedroom early.

That was how she came to be here in this room, laying wide awake in bed. In the stillness of the room, it was hard not to think about what was to come. Riel stirred restlessly and pulled the thin blanket up beneath her chin, trying to push away her thoughts about the next day. She tried to remind herself that it was only a meeting, a discussion with the representative of the Bajoran government here on the station, to decide what should happen until Riel could find her family. Certainly it could not be worse than the meeting she had had earlier that day with Odo, but there was something about this meeting that left Riel uneasy. When she finally drifted into sleep, it was fitful.

* * *

She found herself being led down the promenade by the Cardassian. In a life with no real past, this dream was becoming almost familiar to her. She felt the shove from behind again, and the pain in her knees as they connected with the floor. She heard her voice cry out, "Lian! Help me!" Riel closed her eyes, anticipating the coming blow. But before the Cardassian struck her face, the dream changed.

Riel was curled into a ball, hiding in a corner. Her cheeks were wet with tears. Opening her eyes, Riel looked around. She was still on the promenade, but it was earlier, much earlier than her previous memory. She couldn't have been much older than four or five. There was shouting and a crowd, but people were staring at something, something hanging. Riel gasped as she followed their gaze to see the legs of a woman hanging lifelessly above the crowd. Riel felt something in her hand, and opened it to see the earring lying in her small palm.

At once the memory flooded back to her, and Riel understood. The feet hanging above the crowd belonged to her mother. Riel was alone. She began to cry again. Someone took her hand; another girl, not much older than herself. She motioned for Riel to be quiet, and led her away from the crowd.

Riel followed behind quietly until the girl pulled back a piece of fabric to reveal what must be a living space. There were one or two other children sitting there around the edges of the space, and mattress in one corner where a toddler slept. The girl motioned for Riel to enter, and pulled the fabric closed behind them.

"I'm Lian," she said. "Anju Lian. You can live with us now."

* * *

Riel woke alone in the silent room. Tears streaming down her face, she was grateful for the silence.


End file.
